Dining Out Guide
Take the Healthy Eating Approach out on the Town
Healthy eating practices don't have to go out the window when you walk through the restaurant door -- even if you choose a restaurant known more for its unhealthy-but-delicious cuisine than its diabetes-friendly options. These strategies will show you how a nutritious meal, including dessert, can be yours to enjoy even when you're eating out. Select a category.
Mexican Cuisine
Mexican Cuisine
You can find healthy alternatives when eating Mexican food.
Pros:
- A good selection of vitamin-rich, high-fiber vegetarian items.
Cons:
- Many of the choices are high in fat because of large amounts of cheese and sour cream, and also because some foods are fried (such as beans and tortilla shells).
What to Look Out For:
- Bypass the tortilla chips ? they may be free, but they aren't fat-free.
- Refried beans ? they aren't cooked just once in lard, but twice.
- "Queso" means cheese and it is high in fat.
Try This:
- Request plain, fresh tortillas, instead of fried tortilla chips, to dip in the salsa at your table. Most restaurants will provide a clay pot of warmed tortillas for free. Corn tortillas contain less fat than flour ones, but both are good alternatives to fried chips (one 6-inch corn tortilla = 1 bread or 1 carbohydrate/starch serving).
- Enjoy the salsa. Load up your tacos, burritos, tortillas, or fajitas with salsa instead of sour cream and high-fat alternatives. Not only is salsa fat-free, but it's also full of vitamins.
- Have some beans. Not only are black beans low in fat, but they are also high in fiber and protein. Ask for black beans instead of refried beans, which are fried in lard or other types of fat (1/2 cup boiled beans = 1 bread or carbohydrate/starch serving).
- Try a burrito ? fill the burrito with chicken, black beans, or rice instead of refried beans.
- Fajitas are a good bet. Because you can build fajitas yourself, you can avoid high-fat items such as guacamole, cheese, and sour cream, and substitute vegetables and salsa.
- Opt for bean and rice dishes, which help you load up on fiber and nutrients; spice them up with salsa.
Italian Cuisine
Italian Cuisine
A trip to Little Italy doesn't have to be tricky.
Pros:
- Because of the variety of pasta dishes available, you have lots of reduced-fat and vegetable-rich options.
- Menu items contain grains such as pasta, rice, and bread.
- Many soups and pasta dishes contain beans, peas, and other legumes, which provide fiber and protein.
- Most dishes have minimal amounts of meat with larger portions of vegetables, such as tomatoes, eggplant, and zucchini.
- Menus often have a variety of fresh fish entr?es.
Cons:
- Beware of the pasta portion size; it can be enormous! An average pasta dish is 4 cups, which is equivalent to the carbs in 12 slices of bread.
- Some meals can be heavy in oil and/or cream. Note that Alfredo and other white sauces generally contain cream, butter, and/or cheese.
What to Look Out For:
- How much extra-virgin olive oil you use: It is only different from regular olive oil in flavor ? not in the amount of fat and calories.
- Dishes with sausages or excessive amounts of cheese (which make them high in fat and sodium).
Try This:
- Stay balanced. Enjoy some protein (such as fish, skinless chicken, or lean veal) with a smaller portion of carbohydrate-rich pasta.
- Start off with minestrone or gazpacho, vegetable-rich soups that can help reduce your appetite for relatively few calories.
- Ask for dressing on the side and enjoy it in smaller portions. Briefly dip fork in dressing (allow excess to drip from fork tines), and then gather salad with fork. This helps you enjoy each bite of salad with a hint of dressing.
- Opt for plain Italian or sourdough bread instead of garlic-buttered or cheese-topped bread.
- Choose pasta with chicken or seafood and vegetables, opting for a red (tomato-based) sauce instead of a white one (generally cream- and/or butter-based).
- Choose linguini or capellini as your pasta, especially if you choose a white sauce; these types of pasta do not hold as much sauce as other noodles.
- Eat your mussels. Steamed or in a tomato-based broth, mussels, clams, and other shellfish are delicious, low-calorie choices.
- Try veal. Veal is leaner and lower in fat than most beef, especially if you choose a cut that is baked rather than fried. Veal cacciatore can be a healthy alternative and very nutritious.
- Request reduced-fat mozzarella and ricotta cheese.
- Be liberal with herbs and garlic to provide lots of flavor without added fat or calories.
Chinese Cuisine
Chinese Cuisine
Chinese restaurants offer some of the lowest-calorie options around.
Pros:
- Many dishes include grains, such as rice and noodles.
- Many dishes include a wide variety of vegetables.
- Most menus offer vegetarian dishes, which can be good choices when prepared without too much fat.
- Most menus offer steamed, instead of fried, meals.
- Many menu items contain soy foods, such as tofu and tempeh.
Cons:
- Many entr?es are high in fat (some hidden in sauces) and sodium.
- limit sodium.
What to Look Out For:
- Avoid high-fat items, such as deep-fried General Tso's chicken.
- Limit your selection of high-fat meats, such as chicken and duck with skin.
- Most Chinese dishes are made with high-sodium soy sauce, so be careful if you must limit sodium intake.
- MSG (monosodium glutamate): Some people have reactions to MSG; if you are one of them, ask for your meal to be prepared without it.
- Beware of the citrus selections on the menu. Lemon chicken and orange beef sound healthy, but are often breaded and fried, which means they are relatively high in fat.
Try This:
- Use chopsticks. Whether you are a beginner or are experienced, using chopsticks slows down your eating. Chopsticks allow you to eat less by helping you avoid the extra sauce you might get when using a fork or spoon.
- Order steamed dumplings instead of fried ones. Chicken, shrimp, and vegetable dumplings are good choices. Ask for sauce on the side..
- Instead of fried wontons or egg rolls, try the wonton, egg drop, or hot and sour soup..
- Enjoy the vegetables. Sample Chinese dishes that may not be staples in your home ? baby corn, snap peas, water chestnuts, and sprouts. Ask for an extra serving of vegetables..
- Choose brown rice over white ? it's higher in fiber, iron, and zinc..
- Ask for meat or shellfish with vegetables steamed or prepared by stir-sizzling..
- Choose Moo Shu dishes, which are generally leaner alternatives. .
- Opt for menu items with tofu, miso, or tempeh..
Desserts
Desserts
Think you can't have dessert? Think again.
Try This:
- Order the fresh fruit.
- Want cake? Try angel food cake. Made with egg whites, angel food cake is naturally fat-free. Note that it still has calories, primarily carbohydrates. If you plan to have a slice, consider reducing the carbohydrates in your meal.
- Apple, cherry, or peach pie? Fruit-filled pies are a better choice than cream or pecan pies because they have less fat but more fiber and vitamins. But before you eat the crust, think again ? this is where the fat is hidden.
- Feel free to indulge in the chocolate mousse, but share it with the people at your table. Limit yourself to one or two bites; this way, you can satisfy your craving and feel no guilt! One key to moderation is knowledge of the carbohydrate content of desserts.
Balance Your Dinner and Dessert
Desserts that contain lots of sugars often are high in fat. If you choose to eat a dessert that is high in fat, try to choose other low-fat and low-calorie meal items, and count the fat as part of your meal fat and calorie allowance.